Lawyer: Priest accused of groping teen in Boonton rejected plea offer

The Rev. Marcin Nurek cannot function as a priest while free while the criminal sexual contact and child endangerment charges are pending
Peggy Wright

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The Rev. Marcin Nurek in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor for a pre-indictment conference; he is charged with touching the buttocks of a 13 year old girl. The conference is in the Morristown courthouse, September 5, 2017. Photo by Warren Westura for the Daily Record.(Photo: Warren Westura/for the Daily Record)Buy Photo

MORRISTOWN - A recently-ordained Catholic priest who is accused of fondling a 13-year-old girl's buttocks under her skirt in Boonton rejected a plea offer of Pretrial Intervention, a special supervision program under which criminal charges are dismissed if all conditions are successfully met, the defense lawyer said Tuesday.

The Rev. Marcin A. Nurek - who was barred by the Diocese of Paterson from acting as a priest after he was arrested on Aug. 3 - appeared Tuesday with defense lawyer William Ware for a brief, pre-indictment conference before Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor in Morristown.

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The Rev. Marcin Nurek in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor for a pre-indictment conference; he is charged with touching the buttocks of a 13 year old girl. The conference is in the Morristown courthouse, September 5, 2017. Photo by Warren Westura for the Daily Record.(Photo: Warren Westura/for the Daily Record)

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez said the charges against Nurek - criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child - have been marked for presentation to a Morris County grand jury for possible indictment, the precursor to a criminal trial.

Asked by the judge when the presentation might occur, Rodriguez replied: "Soon. Likely sooner than later."

Nurek was released from the Morris County jail within a few days of his arrest, by order of a Superior Court judge. He is living at the diocese-owned Bethlehem Heritage in Chester Township and both Ware and Rodriguez said that Nurek has not violated any conditions of pretrial release.

After the hearing, Ware said that the Prosecutor's Office offered Nurek the opportunity to be admitted into Pretrial Intervention to resolve the charges but he declined.

"He's innocent," Ware said.

Defendants who are accepted into PTI must serve a period of time under probationary supervision and complete other conditions that could include counseling. If they successfully fulfill the conditions, the charges are dismissed and they do not have a criminal record.

A resident of Poland, Nurek, 37, had completed a portion of his religious training in Poland and the remainder in the United States. He was ordained a priest on July 1 and assigned to start as of Aug. 15 as parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mountain Lakes. In this country on a religious work visa, his assignment was rescinded after his arrest.

Nurek allegedly followed a group of girls down a street in the town of Boonton and then reached a hand under a 13-year-old's skirt, and groped her buttocks over her underwear, stating either "You're sexy," or "Hey, sexy," according to authorities.

Nurek was located shortly after the incident and, authorities said, made admissions to police. Police also secured surveillance camera images that allegedly show Nurek following the girls.

Nurek is being monitored by a monsignor and a deacon while on pretrial release.

The diocese had issued a statement after Nurek's arrest, saying it was saddened by the incident and for the alleged victim and was cooperating fully with the Prosecutor's Office. It also said that Nurek had completed all training related to proper conduct with children.